This is the same Shawn Layden who we should point out last year at E3 confirmed in an interview that the PS5 is coming, but also that it would "probably be some time".

Back to the podcast, and big news in the form of two key announcements

Firstly Layden confirmed that there will be "no new hardware announcement at E3 this year", which means we can most certainly rule out any such PS5 reveal.

Whilst that's kinda bad news for anyone hoping to see a PS5 in the next two years - except maybe Xbox who've been getting thumped by the bog standard PS4 - there was another announcement which does lend hope to the idea that the PS5 release date is slowly nudging ever closer.

PS5 Concept images, specs and features

Sony PlayStation bosses have confirmed a PS5 is coming - could it look anything like this?

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Another key announcement made by Shawn Layden was that the E3 2018 showcase would show "exclusive looks and deep dives on four of our upcoming titles."

Whilst not immediately apparent, this announcement is very telling when you consider that past Sony E3 conferences have always had one eye on the future.

For the first time in quite a few years, there won't be any attempt by Sony to look past their existing AAA lineup.

Which, depending on your viewpoint, could be a sign that the company is winding down its first-party games as it approaches a new console generation.

Think about it for a second. Spider-Man is 2018. Days Gone is early 2019. Which leaves Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part 2 to effectively pick up the pieces for the end of 2019 and beyond.

Assuming Sony was looking to release a new console in say, 2020, as has been suggested by a number of analysts and experts, this rough release pattern would make sense.

All the above would also tally with the PlayStation 5 release date suggested by Digital Foundry. The sister site of Eurogamer is well known for it's deep dives into the performance of games to see exactly how well they are running on a console.

Again, the overriding opinion of the story seemed to suggest that it would be madness to assume Sony would release a new console anywhere Q4 2019, but more likely in 2020.

However, one of the most interesting comments from this story mentioned that Mark Cerny, once the lead architect on the PS4, was once again "hitting the road, talking to developers about their needs for the next-gen PlayStation."

As far as we're aware, this is the first instance of Sony's own top brass being mentioned with regards to the PS5 since Shawn Layden's comments.

A PS5 might still be years away, but if Cerny is out there discussing the potential of such a machine, it's possible that from E3 onwards we could see a lot more chatter from first and third party devs.

As we've mentioned before, the future for all three console makers might seem complicated, but in reality, we have a fairly good idea what they're all planning in the years ahead.

Nintendo is digging in for the long haul with the Nintendo Switch, tentatively telling investors that they anticipate the console to stick around for longer than the normal 5-6 year cycle.

Microsoft is breaking new ground for the company with Xbox One X, the worlds most powerful console. And though it might have a lack of first-party exclusives right now, it's arguably the best place to play third party games at the moment.

Sony, meanwhile, seems content to trundle along with the existing PS4 and PS4 Pro, which might be declining in hardware sales, but is still selling like hotcakes and seeing PlayStation software thrive.

It's worth adding that their latest financial report also highlighted a 50% operating profit increase, from ¥50 billion to ¥85.4 billion ($778m). And with huge titles like God of War just launched and the likes ofSpider-Man,The Last of Us 2,Days Gone,Death StrandingandGhost of Tsushimastill to come, that's only going to increase further.

The PS5 is coming, sure, but it would seem that there's still plenty of life left in the PS4 yet.